Amazingly Brazen

[jimg20]

Thanks for this educational thread. Although we never cheated a villa owner, I can't say that I would have been concerned about this concept before now. Most of us have no idea how much it costs to live on STJ or what it costs to run a villa. I don't mean to give the people in the OP a pass. I am not doing that. I'll bet most of us never realized how much it costs for the second couple to be in the villa. If presented to me, I might have thought it's no big deal. We might have thought, "Hey, they can't rent it someone else. Let's use it." It's similar to the use of the hotel floor mentioned earlier.

Thanks for educating us!

JIM

[Pete (Mr. Marcia)]

I agree with most of what has been posted on this thread, with one, minor exception. I would be seriously pissed if, for example, my wife and I rented a two bedroom villa (as only two people) and they locked the second bedroom. When you rent the "villa" you get the "villa." We like to store our luggage in the spare bedroom. There also may be instances in which we may want to use the bathroom in the other bedroom. That doesn't cost the owner anything additional, as the water use is the same. Also, we may not be able to pick the bedroom that we want on "walk through" with the greeter/mgt. company. Sometimes you have to live in a place a day or two to get the lay of the land, i.e., which bedroom you want.

[Tracy in WI]

I don't own a villa, but we do own two units at Grande Bay. We don't have the opportunity to lock bedrooms but since we have sleeper sofas, there is the opportunity for guests to "invite" others to stay. I have not come across this as of yet, but I can relate to the costs associated with owning a property. I received my WAPA bill just yesterday for a two bedroom unit - $1045 for one month.

I guess I have been more surprised at the condition some people leave our property in as I've had the displeasure of dropping in after they've left and before the cleaning staff has done their jobs. Towels strewn about, food left out on counters, trash all over, etc. I suppose some people think that since they are paying a certain rate, our cleaning staff should be able to handle their mess. My understanding is that this is not a normal occurrence, but it is surprising in any case.

We've been rather fortunate up to this point and have had great guests. I'd just like to ask the ladies to not use our white washcloths and towels to remove your eye makeup!

[needmesomesun]

I agree with most of what has been posted on this thread, with one, minor exception. I would be seriously pissed if, for example, my wife and I rented a two bedroom villa (as only two people) and they locked the second bedroom. When you rent the "villa" you get the "villa." We like to store our luggage in the spare bedroom. There also may be instances in which we may want to use the bathroom in the other bedroom. That doesn't cost the owner anything additional, as the water use is the same. Also, we may not be able to pick the bedroom that we want on "walk through" with the greeter/mgt. company. Sometimes you have to live in a place a day or two to get the lay of the land, i.e., which bedroom you want.

Apparently the cleaning staff on St. John charge additional rates for every bedroom and bathroom used (not per house). So, use of additional beds and baths cause an increase in the cleaning costs.

[cocosmom]

Tracy,
We recently stayed at a wonderful B&B that had a black facecloth in the bathroom with "makeup" embroidered on it. What a great idea! When I visit people, I always bring my own facecloth so I don't get the mascara on their towels. Can't use those makeup remover cloths because they bother my contacts.

[Joppa]

We overheard a conversation of 3 20 something girls that apparently lived on St.John. One girls was describing how she lived in the most incredible villa that was rarely occupied and that only one person knew she was there and it wasn't the owner. I got the impression the property wasn't on the rental market. The conversation made me wonder what kind of things go on...

[PA Girl]

I agree with most of what has been posted on this thread, with one, minor exception. I would be seriously pissed if, for example, my wife and I rented a two bedroom villa (as only two people) and they locked the second bedroom. When you rent the "villa" you get the "villa." We like to store our luggage in the spare bedroom. There also may be instances in which we may want to use the bathroom in the other bedroom. That doesn't cost the owner anything additional, as the water use is the same. Also, we may not be able to pick the bedroom that we want on "walk through" with the greeter/mgt. company. Sometimes you have to live in a place a day or two to get the lay of the land, i.e., which bedroom you want.

I agree with this. Also, just because two people rent a villa doesn't mean they will be sharing a bedroom. Friends, siblings and heck, even some happily married couples prefer seperate beds! Aren't most STJ villas priced by person, not bedroom?

I remember looking a villa rentals on another island where all listings clearly stated you were renting by a per bedroom rate, not by the person. You would have your choice of rooms upon arrival and unused rooms would be locked. I was okay with that sort of pricing structure because it was clearly outlined. It came into play for us because our friends are used to the option of seperate beds and baths at home (and were perfectly fine with paying for the same option on vacation.)

[jimg20]

I am currently searching for a villa. The proposals I get from almost all of them quote the rate and add "double occupancy." I take that to mean that both people will sleep in the same room.

JIM

[mbw1024]

I am currently searching for a villa. The proposals I get from almost all of them quote the rate and add "double occupancy." I take that to mean that both people will sleep in the same room.

JIM

I have seen villas quote by person and by bedroom. If I were traveling with a girlfriend and we expected to occupy 2 bedrooms and the rate was quoted by the bedroom then so be it. If the rate was by person I would expect to pay the rate for 2 people even if we were in 2 bedrooms. Perhaps my thinking is incorrect in that but that is my interpretation.
Renting a villa for double occupancy does not imply the same bedroom to me. A villa is different than a hotel room double occupancy.

[SRT]

I rented a 5 bedroom house in the Florida Keys over Christmas. My son-in-law was splitting wood for the fire pit when he accidently hit the concrete lip in front of the garage door. After he told me about it, I e-mailed the owner to inform him of the damage. The first words out of the owner's mouth were "thank you for telling me". He said the huge majority of renters would never tell him. I told him to let me know the cost if it needed fixing (which he hasn't).

At dinner, I told the family the owner's comments. I felt it was a wonderful opportunity for my grandchildren to learn to always be truthful and respect other's property.

[seagrape]

Knock on wood...we have been very lucky so far. Once, a renter knocked something over and broke the toilet tank lid. They offered to pay, which we appreciated but declined. What we appreciated more was the fact that they told us so we could get one in Anchorage and carry it on. Had we not known, it would have been a much bigger hassle to get one down there. Recently, someone accidentally drove into the house and made a little boo boo. Again, they were honest and offered to pay. Little things like this are no big deal for us to fix. It's the honesty of our guests that we have appreciated the most!

[alw1977]

"We've been rather fortunate up to this point and have had great guests. I'd just like to ask the ladies to not use our white washcloths and towels to remove your eye makeup!"

Tracy, since we are renting your unit I'll be sure to remember this. I remove my eye makeup with remover pads, but any type of blush or "base" always gets all over white washcloths when I'm at a hotel, condo, villa, etc. At home, I don't care, but when away, I always feel horribly. The black washcloth with the word "make up" embroidered on it is a good idea, though some facial products do contain chemicals that can bleach colored washcloths. That is always a problem for me as a female.

[jmass10]

I’ve got it!!! So when you get on Island and some of the friends that you have made over the years want to stop by for an afternoon swim and drink your beer and all of your rum you can just say......Well I’m under contract I will have to meet you at the Beach Bar. Just ask the owner or property management in advance and if they say NO there are many other properties and agencies that will say YES. We have had a few friends stop by for a few patio drinks but no overnights. This is the Island of LOVE and PEACE not communism really!

[Tracy in WI]

Tracy,
We recently stayed at a wonderful B&B that had a black facecloth in the bathroom with "makeup" embroidered on it. What a great idea! When I visit people, I always bring my own facecloth so I don't get the mascara on their towels. Can't use those makeup remover cloths because they bother my contacts.

Thank you - black washcloths are on order and I also just bought some individually wrapped makeup remover pads so we have some options. May seem like small potatoes, but repurchasing washcloths adds up over the course of time!

[cocosmom]

Tracy,
I hope to use your washcloths whenever we get Ito go back to STJ. Your place is on my list!